Missionary Arise and Go. Acts 8:26-35 Philip the evangelist, was alerted by the Holy Spirit to leave his ministry of waiting on tables in order to make contact with an Ethiopian proselyte to Judaism. Behind this abrupt command was the foreknowledge of God, who knew all about the Ethiopian, knew the position he held in his native land, knew why he had come to Jerusalem, knew the deep, unsatisfied hunger of his heart, knew he was on the way home, knew all about his chariot, knew exactly where he was on the road, knew what book he was reading, knew his perplexity and his dogged persistence. We are now about to witness one of those amazing meetings that take place from time to time on earth, the details of which are all determined in heaven and directed by the Spirit of God. The Ethiopian in the story was a eunuch. In the East, eunuchs often attained positions of great power and trust. Here was a seeking sinner reading in the Scripture all about the Savior! He had come to the great passage in Isaiah that described Christ on the cross, and he asked the question that enabled Philip to lead him by the hand to Calvary and introduce him to Jesus. Philip would retrace the tragedy of Calvary, speak of the resurrection and the ascension. He would tell of the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, of the birthday of the church, of the Great Commission to go into all the world to preach the gospel, baptizing believers in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. |
